Pécs
Pécs Mysterious burial chambers from Roman times, domed Turkish djamis, a slender minaret, exquisite Zsolnay chinaware, enigmatic paintings by Csontváry, highly decorative Vasarely patterns, almond trees blossoming in early spring and cosy restaurants and cafés - this is Pécs. Situated in the southern foothills of the Mecsek Hills, the 2,000-year-old city with a Mediterranean climate and ambience was made an episcopal see in 1009. The road leading to the hilltop is lined with atmospheric houses along the steep streets of Tettye, the old city of Pécs. The Misina hilltop at a height of 535 m offers a wonderful view of the city and its environs. Those walking along the signposted trails in Mecseki Parkerdő ('Park Forest') may want to taste the famous wines produced on the hill.
Sopianae, the ancient Roman predecessor of Pécs, was a major centre of early Christianity. An unparalleled 4th-century ensemble of monuments, listed by UNESCO in 2000 as a World Heritage site, is a necropolis comprised of 16 edifices. The two-storied mausoleum (Szent István tér) is Hungary's most important early Christian monument, with frescoes, monograms of Christ and the remains of three sarcophagi in its burial chamber. The Jug Chamber owes its name to one of the paintings on its walls and is accessible via Dóm tér. The 11th-century crypt of the four-spired Episcopal cathedral on Dóm tér (a basilica minor since 1993) is one of the country's first Christian churches. The side chapels and sacristies of the cathedral contain numerous art treasures. The Roman findings from the excavations in its vicinity are on display in its lapidary collection. From the balcony of the neo-Renaissance building of the Episcopal Palace (Dóm tér) a statue of Ferenc Liszt looks out onto the square. The 15th-century barbican, a massive rotund bastion nearby (2 Esze Tamás utca) served as a system of defence for the bishop's castle.
The green cupola of the djami of Khasim Pasha (Széchenyi tér), the most important relic of the 150 years of Ottoman rule, is a major contributor to the character of the city. With a mihrab alcove and ogee-arched windows, it is now a Roman Catholic church. The djami of Jakovali Hassan Pasha (2 Rákóczi út), which is today a house of prayer, is the most complete surviving masterpiece of Moslem architecture, its museum displaying Turkish artefacts of historic and artistic importance. The adjoining minaret is 23-m high. The türbe of Idris Baba squatting on Rókus Hill (8 Nyár utca) is a Turkish shrine. The unearthed remains of Memi Pasha's baths are also open to the public (33 Ferencesek utca).
The city boasts important Baroque monuments, including a Franciscan church and monastery (35 Ferencesek utcája), with furnishings made by Franciscan monks, the Lyceum church and the former monastery of the Pauline order (44 Király utca). There is a Carmelite nunnery next to the church of All Saints (Tettye utca). The chapel of the Blessed Virgin Mary on Havi Hill was built by the survivors of the plague in 1691. An interesting architectural feature of St. Augustine's church (Ágoston tér) is an ogeearched window from a Turkish mosque. The church of the Sisters of Charity (5 Széchenyi tér) has a façade in the Eclectic style and inlaid altars, each with an individual design.
Nearly every house along Káptalan utca is a museum. Number 2 is the Zsolnay Museum, which displays a collection of ceramics representing major milestones in the history of the world-famous Zsolnay porcelain and the artefacts that were awarded the golden Prize at the 1878 Paris World Expo. It also houses a memorial room dedicated to Vilmos Zsolnay, founder of the Zsolnay Porcelain Works. An exhibition displaying the works of the Hungarian-born sculptor, Amerigo Tot occupies the ground floor. Another wing of the building holds a lapidary collection of Renaissance stone monuments from Pécs and its surrounding area. Number 3 is the birth house of Victor Vasarely, world-famous inventor of abstract geometry or op-art. In addition to his opus major, works of 20th-century foreign artists are also on display in the Vasarely Museum. In the basement of the house the Mecsek Museum of Mining is an interesting exhibition. The Modern Hungarian Gallery at No 4 houses one of the richest collections of 19th-20th-century Hungarian fine art. Separate collections of the works of three 20th-century artists are on display at numbers 5 and 6. The neo-Renaissance building of the Csontváry Museum (11 Janus Pannonius utca) is a befitting location for displaying the oeuvre, combining romanticism, symbolism and expressionism, of Tivadar Csontváry Kosztka, an outstanding representative of Hungarian painting. Exhibitions at the Janus Pannonius Museum offer an insight into the rich heritage of multi-ethnic Baranya County. The ethnographic exhibition at 15 Rákóczi utca is dedicated to the diverse folklore of ethnic minorities (Germans and South Slavs). An archaeological exhibition at 12 Széchenyi tér traces the history of the region from pre-historic times to the age of the Great Migration. A natural sciences exhibition (2 Szabadság utca) acquaints the visitor with the flora and fauna of the Mecsek Hills and the surrounding region. The Urban History Museum (9 Felsőmalom utca) details the past 200 years of the history of Pécs in an easy to follow manner.
